I absolutely loved Helon Habila’s Oil on Water. I think it was my favorite reading we have had thus far in the course. My favorite thing about this book was its vivid imagery. I think this greatly added to the appeal and activism of the novel, making it more engaging and enjoyable but also calling attention to the issues that Habila is advocating for. I think this was likely due to a mix of my reading it all in a couple of days and Habila’s beautiful, detailed descriptions, but I don’t think I’ve ever felt so immersed in a book (except maybe the Harry Potter series, but I actively convinced myself I was a witch while reading those!!) as I did while reading Oil on Water. I read half of the book on Thursday, went to bed, and dreamed of the book — that’s how engaged I was! I think that Habila’s vivid descriptions and use of sensory details made the activism aspects of her novel more effective because by throwing readers into the dying environment of the Nigerian Delta, she made readers so much more aware of the situation. By including horrific details like dead birds draped over trees while making the reader feel like they are there, Habila almost forces us to care more about the issue and (hopefully) feel compelled to do something to change this upsetting fate. I think the vivid imagery is the top reason that I am glad that Habila chose to make this a fictional story rather than a nonfiction account.
Something that really stood out to me during our class discussion was the idea that oil is an issue for everyone, and that it pollutes more than just the landscape. We discussed the idea that if it weren’t for oil, there would be no story of fighting and death and corruption. Oil is what pollutes the land, what poisons the water that we drink, what kills the fish that we eat. This is why the people are so angered. One of the militant groups said this when they are talking to Rufus and Zaq. — they were defending the planet, they were the people of Earth. This part reminded me of Bidder 70, when they talk about the various defenses that Tim DeChristopher could have used (the greater of two evils, defending his right to a healthy planet/future). I think that the fact that every single group of characters were negatively affected by oil demonstrates that idea that oil is everyone’s issue. Even the local villagers, who are healers that live in an indigenous type of environment, suffer greatly because of oil. Even Zaq and Rufus, who are supposed to be the “neutral” characters of the novel, suffer greatly, with Zaq dying at the end of the book due to a disease (I believe the book said it was an unknown strain of dengue fever) that was most likely mosquito-borne. I think this is an indirect allusion to climate change because climate change is causing an increase in mosquito-borne diseases. As we said in class, none of Habila’s decisions were unintentional! Also, I believe that the story of the doctor telling the dangers that the “orange flare” (the introduction of oil companies) bring to villages and the increasing levels of toxins that he found was included to emphasize the destructive nature of oil. Finally, I think that oil pollutes people in a non-physical way as well. It makes wealthy people who have ties to these companies corrupt, greedy, and malevolent. The government and the rich, white people in the book were connected to the oil companies, and they were put in a very negative light in this novel. I think that there are many people today who are tied to the oil industry (CEOs, politicians, etc) that make poor decisions that have devastating effects on the lives of many. I do not think that all of these people are malevolent by nature necessarily, but the oil has polluted their morals.
